


For Whom the Bell Tolls

by WaferBiscuits



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Anxiety Disorder, Canon Compliant, Drabble, Gen, In terms of personality at least, Light Angst, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Nonbinary Oma Kokichi, Takes place after the 2nd Trial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:16:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29612070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaferBiscuits/pseuds/WaferBiscuits
Summary: The morning after two fresh deaths leaves Shuichi a sleep-deprived nervous wreck. He plans on skipping breakfast, but Kokichi has other ideas.
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51





	For Whom the Bell Tolls

Shuichi hadn’t slept. He had spent the night laying on top of his comforter hugging a pillow tight against his chest, visions of Kirumi’s oozing body and Ryoma’s half-eaten bones lashing against his brain.

What scared him the most, what truly terrified him more than even the deaths themselves, was his own reaction. 

Kaede’s execution had nearly broken Shuichi. He remembered that Monokuma had been waiting in his room to tell him that the walls were soundproofed.

“So let it all out, Orpheus! Feel free to really work those pipes! You can scream your head off and run a tantrum all you’d like without the hassle of smudging a pillow with your runny eyeliner! Aren’t I just the sweetest?”

Shuichi had loathed Monokuma more than ever then, only because having that kernel of knowledge had given him relief. And he knew that Monokuma knew that.

So, yeah, he did scream. He knew he couldn’t have been the only one.

But Ryoma and Kirumi didn’t make Shuichi feel anything other than numb anxiety and a selfish mantra that wouldn’t stop racing through his head.

_That could have been me._

Part of himself was ashamed for even thinking that. Two people had just been killed. Yet the thought was still there, and it was persistent enough to keep Shuichi awake the entire night. He had tried to make himself cry, but he couldn’t even manage that.

The morning announcement made him flinch and clutch the pillow even tighter. He was still dressed in the same clothes he had worn yesterday. His eyes felt gummy.

_Ding dong ding dong ding dong_

His doorbell was ringing. Shuichi didn’t get up. He was already planning to skip breakfast (again).

“Hey, Shuichi!” Kokichi’s voice, even muffled from the door, still somehow sounded louder than the doorbell. “Open up! I know you’re awake! Keeping quiet isn’t a good lie, you know!”

Shuichi clenched his teeth and sat up.

_Ding dong ding dong_

“Shuuuuuuuichi! Shuichi!” Now Kokichi was knocking. With both fists, it sounded like. “Come on, Mister Detective! You get tangled in the chains of your tripp pants or something?!”

“Go away, Kokichi!” Shuichi called towards the door, before realizing too late that the room was soundproof. He could hear the bell and Kokichi just fine, but they couldn’t hear him. He’d have to open the door to get them to leave.

_Ding dong_

Kokichi’s chaotic knocking switched to something more like an incessant, pounding rhythm to accompany a chant. “Shu-I-Chi! Shu-I-Chi!”

Shuichi all but rolled out of bed to stand up on shaky legs. His left arm felt tingly and sore. Great, he had probably slept on it wrong.

_Ding dong_

Maybe he should just stay put and let Kokichi tire themselves out. Eventually, they’d get hungry or bored and leave, right?

_Ding dong ding dong_

Or not.

Shuichi rubbed the crust from his eyes, risked a glance at the mirror mounted on his closet door and winced. With his wild bed head and rumpled clothes, he looked like a dead man walking.

“Shuichi!” Kokichi cried. Their tone had taken on a nervous edge. “D-Don’t tell me, did someone kill you?! Is my knocking all for naught? Are you lying in a puddle of your own blood, murdered by one of our esteemed classmates?!”

Great. Now they were sobbing. Loudly. When Kokichi cried, they wanted you to _know_ it. Shuichi would have found it impressive if it weren’t so obnoxious. He heaved a sigh.

“Kay, well, if you’re dead, you don’t mind if I root through your stuff, right?” Just like that, the crying had evaporated away to something more cynical. The doorknob started to jitter back and forth. “I can console my grief by digging up all of your dirty secrets. How’s that sound?”

Shuichi could only watch as the door clicked open and Kokichi, bright-eyed, poked in their head with a lock pick in-hand. “Hey, you’re alive!” They flashed a grin. “That’s awesome!”

“Did you just break into my room?”

“Whoa, deductive as ever, even at this hour? Impressive.” Kokichi spun the tool in their hand with a flourish. They stepped inside and shut the door behind them. “Does it surprise you that an evil supreme leader like myself knows how to pick locks, Shuichi Poirot?”

Shuichi sighed and sat on the edge of his beside. “No, actually. It really doesn’t. I just don’t like the implications of it.”

“Oh, yeah?” Kokichi giggled, the stiff curls of their hair bouncing. “Yup, now the secret’s out! Now you get to live with the knowledge that I can break in whenever I feel a rush of blood lust. Are you scared? Huh?”

“Why are you here?” Shuichi didn’t want to humor them.

“Rude. Here I am, worried about you, and you’re giving me the cold shoulder?” Kokichi’s eyes watered. They squeezed at the edges of their checkerboard scarf and sniffed. “Super rude. Mega rude.”

Shuichi cleared his throat. “Look, Kokichi, I’m really not the mood right now.”

Like a switch, the tears were off. Kokichi’s quivering frown morphed back into a toothy grin. “Y’know, you look so _good_ today!” they exclaimed. “Like, wow! So handsome! You work out anywhere besides the library? Because hoo- _man_! Me, oh _my_!”

Shuichi blinked. “Okay, now _that_ I know is a lie.”

“Aw, you caught me.” Kokichi snickered. “Yeah, sorry, you look like hot garbage. Total dumpster fire. Worse than Miu, and that’s something you have to really try at! Careful, or you’ll end up as ugly as Keeboy.”

“Seriously, Kokichi.” Shuichi fought back a yawn. “Why are you here?”

Kokichi snorted and put their hands on their hips. “Well, duh, why else? I came to get you for breakfast. And don’t think about saying no. I’ve got Gonta on tactical stand-by to carry you there.”

“That a lie?” asked Shuichi.

Kokichi shrugged and rolled their eyes. “Oh, who knows?” Their smile creeped into something more sinister. “You wanna find out? Didn’t he knock you out cold last time?”

Shuichi didn’t have a rebuttal for that one. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Can I at least change?”

“Of course! I’ll give you, hm.” Kokichi lifted a wrist and checked a non-existent watch. “Ten minutes. You’ve got ten minutes to freshen up before I get Tarzan in here to wipe the floor with you.”

With a wave and a salute, Kokichi turned on their heels and danced from the room.

When they opened the door, Gonta poked his head in and waved. “Hi, Shuichi! Good morning!” he cried.

Shuichi managed a half-hearted wave back before trudging to the bathroom.

**Author's Note:**

> Quickly written more as practice for writing Kokichi than anything else. Comments and Kudos are always a treat and a half <3 
> 
> I also hope the hurt/comfort tag doesn’t come off as misleading. I just feel like when it comes to comforting people, this is probably the best that Kokichi can do lmao


End file.
